New Rice controversy: business ties to Iran?

posted at 12:11 pm on November 30, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

Susan Rice can’t be blamed for feeling beleaguered on all sides these days. First, her bosses send her out to sell what turned out to be a false narrative about the Benghazi attack on five news shows, despite the fact that — as Barack Obama himself said — Rice had nothing to do with what happened in Benghazi. Republicans now vow to block her ascent to Secretary of State. At the same time, environmentalists started sounding an alarm over her financial connections to the Keystone XL pipeline and banks involved in it, as well as questions about her work during the Clinton administration on Rwanda and other policies relating to Africa.

This morning, Rice’s woes continue with a Washington Post exposé on Rice’s financial connections to businesses that engaged in trade with Iran — while Rice served as UN Ambassador. The new revelations have Democrats conceding that this will be a problem in any future confirmation hearing:

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan E. Rice and her husband own modest stakes in companies that have until recently done business with Iran, prompting new questions from those opposed to her possible nomination as secretary of state. …

One of the biggest of the holdings, between $50,000 and $100,000, according to Rice’s disclosure statement for 2011, is Royal Dutch Shell. The international oil giant stopped buying crude oil from Iran early this year as sanctions were tightened to block oil exports by Iran and to stop financial transactions with its central bank.

A company spokesman said officials dealing with Iran could not be reached, but a person familiar with the company, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of a lack of authorization to discuss the topic, said Royal Dutch Shell owes Iran about $1 billion.

Rice and her husband also own between $15,000 and $50,000 of stock in ENI, the Italian international oil company. ENI has said that it is no longer doing business with Iran, but it has a waiver from sanctions to enable it to collect oil as payment for about $1 billion Iran owes the company from earlier business deals. The company had been purchasing crude oil and developing natural gas fields.

On Thursday, Republicans on Capitol Hill began circulating information about Rice’s investments connected to Iran. Asked about the disclosure revelations, one senior GOP official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the topic, said, “This news adds to the list of questions about Susan Rice — not only her public statements, but now there are broader concerns about her past record.” Democratic staffers also said on condition of anonymity for the same reason that the investments would prompt questions of her if she is nominated.

This brings up more questions about conflicts of interest first raised in the Keystone issue. But it probably serves more as a signal from the media that Rice isn’t going to get an easy ride after her performance on Benghazi — and perhaps Obama should rethink his plans to replace Hillary Clinton instead.

Update: Foreign Policy also reminds readers that Rice’s record in the Clinton administration is going to come under fire:

It’s also unfortunate that the “scandal” has crowded out a healthy discussion of her two-decade record as U.S. diplomat and policymaker prior to Sept. 2012 — and drawn attention away from actions for which she bears far greater responsibility than Benghazi.

Her role in shaping U.S. policy toward Central Africa should feature high on this list. Between 1993 and 2001, she helped form U.S. responses to the Rwandan genocide, events in post-genocide Rwanda, mass violence in Burundi, and two ruinous wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. …

When a United Nations investigation submitted its report on the conflict to the U.N. Security Council in June, providing copious evidence of Rwandan involvement, the ambassadorblocked its publication, insisting the Rwandan government be given a right of reply first (the investigators say they had tried to provide this, but had been rebuffed by officials in Kigali). It was eventually published, but Rice had signalled her sympathies in the matter. Several months later, Rice allegedly removed language from a Security Council resolution explicitly citing Rwanda and Uganda’s well-documented support to the M23, replacing it with the anodyne phrase, “outside support.”

According to some of her colleagues, Rice continues to weigh in on policy toward the region, questioning how much the administration should pressure Rwanda — according to former colleages, she feels that more can be achieved by constructive engagement, not public censure. An official in the government familiar with the internal debates told me, “Her questioning of the proof of Rwanda’s support for the M23 has likely diluted any tough message from other senior U.S. diplomats against Kigali. The Rwandans are paying attention to this, and feel with her support any criticism will be minimal.”

The diplomats and officials interviewed for this article left no doubt that Rice is bright, ambitious, and extremely hard-working. But in her reluctance to criticize the Rwandan government’s involvement in the Congo, she has also demonstrated critical lapses in judgment. Senators would do better to scrutinize this history, rathering than focusing on the Benghazi attacks.

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Well someone has to get the bus for bho and rice is getting the royal investigation into things that will see to it she is toast? Too bad they won’t come after bho, afterall didn’t he say something like, ‘come after me’? Well they aren’t coming after bho are they?
L

I am always entertained when folks use Bush admin history to denigrate Obama.
BP spill was attacked as ‘Obama’s Katrina!’.
The Libya intervention is ‘Obama’s Iraq’.
And now Susan Rice is ‘Harriet Miers’.
Ha.

Obama plan.
Throws Rice to the wolves to give that traitorous scum Kerry a free ride to the SoS position.
The guy’s a great magician…”just keep your eyes on the ball” while I screw you behind your back.
Feels good, doesn’t it?
We’re being played again.
As to Rice’s investments…look to the Iranian, Valerie Jarrett.

One thing is for certain! This is one UNTRUSTWORTHY POS! This scumbag has a desperate need to be out of public service at all cost, for the sake of the U.S. Unless, of course, you want untrustworthy, unbelievable individuals representing you & this country?
Meanwhile, all this BS does, is cover up the fact that the Traitor-in-chief, betrayed America & ordered the deaths of 4 Americans(“Stand Down”), to cover for his Arming of Al-Qaeda(W/GOP knowledge & approval)!

Rice allegedly removed language from a Security Council resolution explicitly citing Rwanda and Uganda’s well-documented support to the M23, replacing it with the anodyne phrase, “outside support.”

Interesting. Just like the CIA report got changed. I wonder if she changed it? Obama did say she had nothing to do with the attack /security in Benghazi, but she most certainly could have changed the language in the report. She did it before. Just a thought.

I am always entertained when folks use Bush admin history to denigrate Obama.
BP spill was attacked as ‘Obama’s Katrina!’.
The Libya intervention is ‘Obama’s Iraq’.
And now Susan Rice is ‘Harriet Miers’.
Ha.

verbaluce on November 30, 2012 at 12:25 PM

The similarities are, in fact, not limited to your list. Outside of skin color and judicial appointments, these two are almost identical. In fact, had Bush been brown-skinned, he would still be the liberal media’s darling.

Collins, a centrist Republican who would be a key vote for Rice if President Obama nominates her as his next secretary of State, also said she is concerned about Rice’s role in denying security requests prior to the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa.

I am always entertained when folks use Bush admin history to denigrate Obama.
BP spill was attacked as ‘Obama’s Katrina!’.
The Libya intervention is ‘Obama’s Iraq’.
And now Susan Rice is ‘Harriet Miers’.
Ha.

verbaluce on November 30, 2012 at 12:25 PM

Just think how entertaining it will be for the next GOP President to have their actions named after Bark’s perceived missteps and mistakes.

I just hope there will never be a “This is the current president’s Benghazi”.

I think it’s being leaked and more importantly published in the media to keep Obama from nominating her. People know Obama is a stubborn narcissist and he would nominate her to show he’s king. however others know that once she’s in front of the committee all this and more, especially the Benghazi stuff comes out and blows back on O.All the contradictions and narrative changes that the media can overlook will have to be reported since they’ll be part of the nominating process and then O will face questions the media would rather he not face. Hence kill Rice now and make it impossible for the meglomaniacal O to nominate her.

First, her bosses send her out to sell what turned out to be a false narrative about the Benghazi attack on five news shows, despite the fact that — as Barack Obama himself said — Rice had nothing to do with what happened in Benghazi.

TWWWWwwweeeeettttt! Flag on the play!

“Turned out” suggests that the administration really believed that our Ambassador and three others were killed because of angry film critics as late as Sept 16th. It has been proven that it was known to be a deliberate attack from the very beginning. Before Susan Rice went out there and lied her ass off on five Sunday talk shows. That she legitimately belived that the attack was spontaneous when she was out there lying for the administration. She may have been out there trying to sell the lie for the administration but let’s be clear that she knew damned well what she was doing and it isn’t as if she thought she was telling the truth but it “turned out” to be a false narrative.

In fact, the reason why she has critics in Congress is that she is too much of a team player for the rat-eared wonder. If confirmed as SecState, would she be our chief agent for foreign affairs or would she be using the office for furthering false narratives coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave as she did when she lied her ass off about Benghazi?

If nominated, I want her to be grilled about her role in the Benghazi cover-up but she (or any other nominee) really needs to be grilled about their perceptions about the practice of American foreign policy, what “pivot to Asia” means, and when (if ever) it is acceptable for high government officials to knowingly and deliberately lie to the American public for several weeks before confessing that it was all lies.

As with Obama and Holder, because of 100% backing of a palace guard press, Susan Rice is Teflon affirmative action protected from either total incompetence or criminal acts of commission or omission. Any attempts to file even the mildest demurrer over egregious acts committed by any one of these Three Stooges is met with a vicious, career destroying counterattacks charging the attacker with RACISM.

This means that Susan Rice is invulnerable to ANYTHING she says or does short of mass murder at a shopping mall with a Mac 10 machine gun.

I think it’s being leaked and more importantly published in the media to keep Obama from nominating her.

xkaydet65 on November 30, 2012 at 12:37 PM

Lots of truth in this. The rat-eared wonder can nominate Rice and she can get confirmed by the Senate but it will take far more political capital and create a needless maelstrom than other options. John Kerry, for example, would sail through the confirmation process.

Rice would be grilled about Benghazi which opens the door to questions about who gave her the bogus information which leads to who knew what and when did they know it. In short, the whole cover-up and fraud are fair game when the administration’s spokesperson for the lies is up for confirmation. Throw in her performance and these investments and the rat-eared wonder will have a hard time coming up with enough votes for confirmation. He can get them but it will be costly.

Hey, she’s worth $30 million. Those investments wouldn’t conflict with serviing as SoS. In fact it would help her intersts in them. I say what the heck. I don’t know why I use the dollar sign in front of those numbers anymore, what’s it mean if the debt limit is infinity?

I’d really like to know how she made that money. She doesn’t seem like she has a brain. I wonder if she worked for Fannie/Freddie or got it through some other dem patronage jobs. It’s interesting that none of the articles I’ve read about her wealth make mention of what job she held to get it, or if she is supposed to be some investment wonderkind (LOL).

I’d really like to know how she made that money. She doesn’t seem like she has a brain. I wonder if she worked for Fannie/Freddie or got it through some other dem patronage jobs. It’s interesting that none of the articles I’ve read about her wealth make mention of what job she held to get it, or if she is supposed to be some investment wonderkind (LOL).

Just a slightly off topic reminder: you do remember how SEIU had offices in Egypt and were fomenting and organizing prior to Mubarek’s ouster. I’m with Schadenfreude on this. Muslim Brotherhood is in da house!

Except most, if not all, of the opposition to Miers came from Republicans.

Mitoch55 on November 30, 2012 at 1:10 PM

True. At least conservatives and Republicans had the mental acuity to see Mrs. Mier’s deficiencies and press the Bush administration to the point that her potential nomination was dropped. Democrats and liberals don’t seem to have that same level of sense. One would think that with everything coming out about her, Democrats would say, maybe Rice isn’t a good fit at all. Democrats don’t always want to learn history lessons…

Then again, as others have pointed out, perhaps the Obama administration is using Mrs. Rice as fodder so that Kerry can get the nomination instead.

maybe susan rice was the source of the video story in the first place…perfect cover of spontaneous event…and her husband’s in the business of made up stuff. she knew all about bengazi..she had been there before in kenya several years ago when she was assistant sec to afric at the state department when calls for help were denied and 12 Americans died.

could be she’s a rich well-educated evil nasty. what goes around comes around. God is math. u play this game enough it comes back to bite ya.

I am always entertained when folks use Bush admin history to denigrate Obama.
BP spill was attacked as ‘Obama’s Katrina!’.
The Libya intervention is ‘Obama’s Iraq’.
And now Susan Rice is ‘Harriet Miers’.
Ha.

“The buck stops elsewhere, so shut up. We’re doing what we want, how we want, and when we want — and the majority of the media will back us, cover for us, lie for us, and bend over for us, and not even get a dinner and a movie for their trouble.”

I’d really like to know how she made that money. She doesn’t seem like she has a brain. I wonder if she worked for Fannie/Freddie or got it through some other dem patronage jobs. It’s interesting that none of the articles I’ve read about her wealth make mention of what job she held to get it, or if she is supposed to be some investment wonderkind (LOL).

ThePrimordialOrderedPair on November 30, 2012 at 1:49 PM

Not sure but think her hubby is an exec at ABC. That may pay well.

Jabberwock on November 30, 2012 at 2:29 PM

Very likely, she inherited quite a bit of money from her father AND as a dependent earlier of his had quite a bit of investing done by her father in her name, such that she was wealthy as a dependent in ready for her later life.

Then those investments, that inherited wealth, multiplied as good investments will and hers or hers-in-name did AND then she married the ABC News guy, Ian Cameron (who has since become producer of George Stephanoupoulis’ show)…